Quake Live!

A fair amount of buzz has been surrounding the news that a touched up version of Quake III is going to be available for free on the web. The game will stream onto your computer as you play. This isn't some slow Java or Flash version of Quake it is in fact pretty much the same Quake III many users still have installed on their systems today.

id's goal in making Quake III easily available online is to not only refresh the old Quake III community, but to introduce it to the more casual PC gamers out there. id has said that they are implementing a system that tracks your efficiency and skill level so it will automatically suggest servers to play on so you can play people at your level of skill. As it is now, to play Quake III you have to install the base game, patch it to 1.32c then download a bunch of mods that people play. Maps are another story all together. While this system is fine for those who are truly into Quake III (as I am), the new players are often turned away by this alone. I really do think Quake Live will at least solve this portion of the game's accessibility, but there's one thing Quake Live won't change, and that's the community.

To me, and many of the hardcore Quake players it's not just a game, it's actually a sport. Quakers play hard, they've gotten so good that any new player who joins in will be outmatched. id's matchmaking system will only go so far. Quake III's community has a lot of media coverage. These "Frag Movies" often display some of the best examples of the amount of finesse and skill that is within the Quake III community. All these videos are easily accessible either on youtube or Own-Age.



The above movie is but one example of some of the media that users create showcasing some pretty impressive skills. Now when someone new plays Quake III they are often there as a result of watching these videos and want a piece of the action. This won't change much with Quake Live, although the player may discover these videos at a later time. They may then choose to ignore id's matchmaking system to try and move upwards in the Quake community. That's where they will hit the brick wall. Of course there is the possibility that the new Quake Live players will form their own community, but it's incredibly difficult to imagine that the old Quakers won't mix up with the new ones resulting in a lot of discouraged players.

Of course there are those new players who will be persistent and they will keep on trying and pushing themselves. These players are the ones who become the true Quakers. The players who aspire only to get better. Although the Quake community can sometimes frown upon the new players (due to their lack of experience and skill) there are always those who help the newer players and teach them the ropes. Quake III is a game where there's so much to learn, then you take what you learned and you evolve into a more skilled player. Everything down to the movement in Quake III requires hours of practice.

Community aside Quake Live will offer better net-code, a completely web based community system with stats and server browser along with some minor game-play tweaks and graphical touches. New game modes (many coming from some of the Quake III mods currently available) are also being implemented. For those of you who are interested you can try to get into the action by applying for the beta here. All it takes is your e-mail address and you're set. Not everyone gets invited to the beta, but it's always worth a shot.